Only What I See
by wolfchic011
Summary: The first thing Asami learned about Korra was that she was brash, rude and not at all afraid of anything. The second thing she learned was that all this was false. A Korrasami one-shot about Asami's growing awareness and development of her feelings for the Avatar.


A.N.: These are all my LoK feels. Not sure how coherently they flow as a story but it was more of a summary of the relationship of these two than a story.

* * *

><p>The first thing I noticed about Korra was how she moved. I didn't often go to pro-bending matches but back then, I'd found it easier to sneak out of the house and wander the city alone on my moped. My father was spending hours in his workshop on some 'top-secret project'. But he didn't really approve of this particular hobby of mine anyway. Pro-bending was exciting, thrilling and mesmerizing. He often muttered that it was a 'waste of perfectly good resources'. All the same, he knew I loved it so we had a box reserved at the arena. It was the perfect place to go to hideout all alone and have some fun.<p>

The match was the Platypus Bears vs. the Fire Ferrets, a rookie squad that had been getting a lot of attention of late. I'd gone to their last match and cheered them on to victory.

But this time, I noticed they had a new teammate. The Bending Brothers Mako and Bolin had recruited a new female water-bender to fill their final slot. Someone no one seemed to know anything about. At first, I wasn't all that impressed by her. She clearly had no idea how to play. Her bending was flawless though. So flawless, it was like she could bend more than one element.

And then she did. And suddenly it hit me. _She's the Avatar…_

I leaned forward in my seat, trying to make out her features behind the mask but all I could see was her stubborn high ponytail sticking out the back. I'd seen her press conference the other day, (who hadn't?) but I never expected to actually see the famous Avatar in person. Word was, she was living on Air Temple Island with Master Tenzin and Avatar Aang's family. What were the odds she'd be here?

_Maybe she just wanted to get away…_ I wondered.

The match proceeded and Korra found herself backed onto the edge of the platform. I found myself gripping the edge of the box tightly as she teetered on the edge, horribly off-balance.

_Come on…_ I cheered silently. _Don't give up…_

As if she'd heard my words, she suddenly started moving entirely differently. Light on her feet, twisting and turning in mid-air. Nothing could hit her. As the Ferrets took advantage of her newfound ability and attacked their exhausted opponent, I found myself on my feet, cheering unabashedly as they fought their way to victory.

Korra smiled and cheered and danced as they secured their spot in the tournament. I found I couldn't help but giggle at her antics.

This Avatar was definitely someone to keep an eye on.

* * *

><p>A few days later, by some odd stroke of fate, I ran over Mako with my moped and made his acquaintance.<p>

Well, acquaintance is probably the wrong word. Before I could think of a suitable way to make it up to him, my mouth was betraying me, asking him to dinner.

Dinner was not payback for running someone over. Dinner was a date.

But he was so charming, so kind and gentle that I found myself craving more of his company. Before we'd even eaten the main course, I was inviting him to meet my father. By the time we'd finished our meal, we had already set a second date.

It all just happened so naturally, so flawlessly that I might have said someone had planned it if I hadn't known it had all been by coincidence.

The next day, Mako came to the factory to meet dad. My father, in a rare display of pro-bending enthusiasm, offered to sponsor Mako's team.

Several days after that fated moped crash, I finally met Korra.

There was a gala being thrown for the Avatar by Councilmen Tarloc, probably some kind of late 'Welcome to Republic City' kind of deal. My dad inevitably snagged a few invitations and extended them to Mako and his brother.

Mako was the one who spotted her talking to my dad and guided us over to her, calling out a greeting.

She looked distinctly uncomfortable in her beautiful formal water tribe attire. But she held herself confidently, smugly even. As I cordially greeted her, she folded her arms and pointedly avoided talking to me. If I was being honest, she was actually rather rude to me. But it seemed more defensive than anything.

I watched her closely, my brow furrowing. She seemed less than enthusiastic about my dad sponsoring her team. Actually, she looked rather put-out. Something about all this was bothering her.

Before I could ask her any more questions, and believe me, I had a few lined up (_how do you like Republic City?, Have you ever been in a Satomobile?, What's it like to play pro-bending?, who taught you to move like you did last match?)_ Chief Beifong marched over to our group, having been hailed by the Councilmen.

I watched in amazement as Korra valiantly stood her ground as Chief Beifong glared at her and commented that she didn't deserve any of the pomp and circumstance of this party. The Avatar's face contorted angrily as the Chief spoke. But as soon as she turned her back, in that moment when everyone else politely turned to other conversation so as to pretend they hadn't heard the Chief's _somewhat_ true words, her defenses fell. She looked to the side, her lips pressed together worriedly in a pout.

It would have been adorable if it hadn't been so hard to watch.

Mako pulled me away, chatting about how great this food was and how he could get used to treatment like this but I glanced over my shoulder at Korra as we left. She had her tough face back on again, speaking to another Councilman about something or other.

Sometime later, there was a press conference in the main hall. Korra was thrust out in front of about two dozen cameras and haggled until she agreed to help fight the Equalists. I sympathized with her, the press is hard to face alone, especially when they've obviously got a headline to pull out of you.

To her credit, Korra remained tough and determined, even as the flashes went off in her face. But as Tarloc put his arm around her to pose for the headline picture, she seemed stiff and uncomfortable. I peered up at her, loosening my grip on Mako's arm ever so slightly. There was that same look again, the one that was all at once cute and hard to stomach. How did no one else see this?

Suddenly I realized what it was.

She was afraid. And she was determined to hide it.

* * *

><p>I started hanging out around the Fire Ferrets a lot more. Sure it was because I was in charge of coordinating my dad's sponsorship of them and Mako and I had recently moved our acquaintanceship into relationship territory but I also found myself wanting to spend more time around the Avatar.<p>

She was like a puzzle, an engine I just had to dismantle, examine and put back together in a more efficient way. On top of that, Korra was actually a rather amazing person when she wasn't being snippy or oddly reclusive.

I worried she didn't like me. But I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.

I somehow managed to get my father to come to their next few matches, watching the team take win after win. Korra had improved exponentially, taking out the entire Buzzard Wasps team in the semi-final match with an amazing line-up hat trick.

I dashed into the box after their victory, congratulating Korra on her amazing comeback as I threw my arms around Mako. She thanked me for sponsoring us.

It was the first pointedly kind thing she had said to me since we'd met and it brought a surprisingly warm smile to my face. Maybe we did have a chance to be friends. I vowed to be nicer to her, to show her I wasn't just some prissy rich girl.

The pro-bending finals were interrupted by the Equalists. I watched in awe as Korra and Chief Beifong chased the terrorists up to the roof, fearlessly taking them on as my father wrestled me from the box and outside to our escort.

The arena was shut down after Amon's interruption and the boys suddenly found themselves homeless. Well, we couldn't let that happen. I invited the entire team to come visit my mansion: the boys to move in and Korra to hang out. Korra looked anxious when she arrived but I quickly came up with a solution. We spent the day at the test track, driving Satomobiles and talking about our families. I learned that Korra's dad was the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe but he was originally from the Northern Tribe. She told me about how she had grown up in a secluded White Lotus compound where she'd been trained by some of the greatest masters in the world but generally kept locked up. When she asked me about my childhood, I told her about my mother dying in a Triad raid when I was six and my dad's subsequent demands that I take self-defense classes.

We were getting along so well, laughing and chatting easily, I thought nothing could go wrong.

Then my father was revealed to be an Equalist. And my entire world turned upside-down. I hadn't wanted to believe Korra when she burst in and told me what she thought, what she had overheard. How could I? My father was kind and patient and smart and he had sponsored their team for goodness sake! Is that the kind of person who wanted to topple the government and strip benders of their powers?

Perhaps blowing up at her had been the wrong thing to do but I wasn't going to let my father, the only family I had left, be accused of something so dastardly.

But when the metal-benders found a secret tunnel under my father's workshop, I knew. Suddenly it all made sense: dad's long nights in his workshop, 'secret projects' I wasn't allowed to see, sponsoring Korra's team…

My father was smart. And he was patient.

Korra didn't gloat. She didn't sneer and say 'I told you so' like I had expected her to, like she would be completely justified to do. Rather, her words were kind, sympathetic and carried just a hint of guilt.

That was why I followed Mako and Bolin into the tunnels. I knew what my father was capable of, I was 90% certain they were walking into a trap. And 20% certain I could talk my father out of it.

I couldn't. But I was able to save my friends. Turning on my father had been the hardest thing I'd ever done. It hurt more than losing my mother had. As the police airship carried me away from my home, I tried so hard not to cry. My father had left me alone, abandoned me for a cause I could not possibly align with. Mako comforted me and I leaned on him as I broke down.

Korra and Tenzin took us in on Air Temple Island. It was odd to suddenly find myself at the mercy of someone else's charity. But anything was better than returning to that giant empty house full of memories of the family that had betrayed me.

As one of the air-bender kids and Korra showed me to my room, Master Tenzin's daughter revealed what I'd suspected all along: Korra liked Mako. The next few minutes were some of the most tense of my life. What was I supposed to say? But Korra tried to play it cool so I played along. There was no need for us to start arguing over something that was nothing. Thankfully, Tenzin interrupted us before things got too awkward, telling Korra that they should be going to the ceremony for the new chief of police.

I didn't see Korra for the rest of the day. When Tenzin returned at sunset, he said Korra had wanted to be alone for awhile. When night fell and she was still missing, I sought out Bolin and Mako and we went looking for her.

We found Korra all alone on a remote portion of the island that night, silently crying as she gazed out at Aang Memorial Island. She tried to hide her tears but it was impossible to miss. The boys and I tried to lift her spirits, reminding her that no Avatar went it alone.

It was something I noticed more and more about Korra. She was tough and rude and even a little bit selfish sometimes. In public, she put forth the picture of confidence and assuredness.

But it was whenever people weren't looking, those moments in a crowded room when miraculously, no one wanted to speak to her or all those times the Avatar snuck off on her own when the true side showed. If anyone bothered to watch Korra at those times, they'd see the brashness fade away, the confidence crumble and the scared, lonely girl come forth from her hiding place.

I saw this. But I said nothing. I didn't know what to say. How could I possibly fathom what it was like to be the Avatar? To be the bridge between two worlds and carry the weight of both on my shoulders?

So instead of trying to comfort Korra wit words, I offered my resources to make her job easier. We took to the streets, the new Team Avatar, fighting the Equalists from my SatoMobile. For about a week, it was a great arrangement. We took down escaped prisoners, criminals and even a few chi-blockers. Councilmen Tarloc wasn't pleased with Korra acting without his approval and at a quarantine of non-benders, Mako, Bolin and I were arrested.

By the time Chief Beifong got us out, Korra had been kidnapped by Equalists.

Mako went crazy. That was the only way to describe his reaction. He plunged into the search for Korra, plowing ahead as we drove deep into Equalist territory to search for her. Later that night when we did find her, he didn't leave her side until she woke up. It stung, but not nearly as much as the knowledge that Mako and Korra had kissed and neither of them had told me. Korra I understood. We didn't really know each other well enough to share those kinds of things. But Mako was unforgivable. He had the nerve to ask me to wait to talk about this, like it was something inconsequential.

I liked Korra. Really I did. But if Mako was going to go back and forth between us, I wasn't going to be the girl he settled for. I vowed he would either be straight with me about how he felt or we were done.

Barely a day after we rescued Korra, the Equalists attacked the city. Mako, Korra, Bolin and I were forced to go underground as the city fell into their hands and the air-benders fled. For four days, we hid with the refugees and hobos of Republic City. And every day, I felt any claim I'd had on Mako's heart slip away. He turned to Korra and I eventually gave up. It was the moment when Korra decided she would hunt Amon down herself and Mako immediately volunteered to go with her that I abandoned all hope.

He told me he would always care about me and that he was sorry for messing things up.

I had to deal with my father. And this time, I wasn't going to lean on anybody. Mako had made his choice and he had told me how he felt. I couldn't hate him for that.

Taking down my father was the hardest thing I'd ever done. In self-defense classes, they teach you to be merciless. Your assailant only wants to hurt you, so you'd better make sure you hurt them if you want to get away. But when I stood over him, poised to end him…I couldn't. Despite everything he had done: attacking my friends, trying to coerce me into joining him, disowning me…I couldn't do it. I couldn't attack my own father.

The battle came at a great cost. Korra had lost her bending and her spirit. She fell apart and Mako picked up the pieces. We all had to pick up the pieces and move on.

* * *

><p>As time passed and our friendship (however tenuous) grew, I continued to notice one particularly obvious thing about the all-powerful Avatar.<p>

She put on a brave face, she acted tough and strong and fought with all her heart and soul for whatever she defended.

But right underneath that all, was the most fragile, scared, _lonely _person you could imagine. And I felt for her. I knew what it was to be lonely. No one should ever feel that way.

After the fall of the Equalist movement, Korra and I weren't able to spend much time together. Having regained her bending and unlocked the Avatar State, she was finishing her air-bending training. I was trying to salvage the one piece of my life that remained: my company. Working with the designs my father had left behind and adding my own ideas, I'd come up with new war machines and Satomobile designs. But no one was buying, there was no money coming in and tons of money flowing out. My only choice was to ask for help. And my best chance was with Verric Industries.

Mako and I had come to an understanding of sorts and he and Korra had begun a relationship that it hurt to witness. But I accompanied them to the South Pole for a Spirit Festival because it was the only way to get to Verric without a costly trip to the Southern Tribe.

While we were there, some old feud was re-ignited and civil war broke out between the North and South tribes. Korra was caught in the center, needing to remain neutral but wanting so much to support her home tribe. She was in turmoil and Mako wasn't helping. It seemed like every day they dissolved into a new argument or shouting match. I felt I should say something. But it wasn't my place. I was still a little touchy over Mako's and my break-up and Korra was making it harder than ever to approach her.

We escaped back to Republic City with Verric to try to garner support for Korra's tribe but Reiko proved useless and stubborn. I went back to my company, trying to keep my head above water as Verric's deal fed me barely enough to get by.

The weeks passed slowly, tensely. As I tried to hammer out further plans for my company, Verric gave me a way to not only grow my company but help Korra out as well. Selling war machines to the southerners was a win-win for both of us.

But my luck continued to run out. My shipment was stolen and my company was back in hot water. Mako and I tried to set up a sting operation to catch whoever was stealing my shipments to the south but found ourselves double-crossed yet again. That same night, I learned that Mako and Korra had broken up. He wouldn't say why and I wasn't about to push. Too much was going on. We found ourselves back at my warehouse later that night, having barely escaped our betrayers.

Seeing that empty warehouse was too much for me. I broke down. It was gone, my family, my company…I was all alone.

Except for Mako. Maybe that's why I kissed him. It was a moment of weakness, of desperation and selfishness. As soon as it was over I felt guilty. I was just as much worried about Korra as I was about Mako. She was alone now, facing this crisis without Mako's support. How was she holding up? How could I be here, taking him back so soon after they'd broken up?

I went home that night and sat up thinking. Korra and Mako were over. From what I had figured out, Korra had pushed Mako away over some argument of theirs and Mako had broken up with her. As much as Korra needed him, she wasn't here now, he wasn't with her.

Mako was all I had left. My mother was dead, my father was in jail, my company was bankrupt. Even Korra and Bolin were gone, off on their own adventures. He was all I had left for support.

So that was why I found myself reigniting my old flame with Mako, stealing a few kisses here and there, guilt churning in my gut every time I thought of Korra's anguished face during those days in the south. But Mako kept me going. He gave me comfort in these dangerous waters. He was a safe bet.

Verric saved my company but ruined my relationship with Mako. Mako had some crazy idea that the businessman had been behind the theft of my merchandise and was arrested when contraband was found in his apartment.

Korra had been missing for about a week, having tried to seek help from the Fire Nation in the Civil War. Despite everything with Mako, I found I missed her.

Things had changed so much: Korra was gone, Mako was in jail, Bolin was a celebrity and my company was just barely holding together. I missed the days when we would pile into my car and race around the city. I missed going out for dinner, all of us together, laughing and having a great time.

Where had those days gone?

Later that night, Bolin became a real-life hero when Verric tried to kidnap the president and Korra returned with news of a doomsday device called Harmonic Convergence.

We rushed to release Mako, glad he was innocent and now a hero among the force. I smiled at him when he walked free, glad he was back.

Then Korra rushed forward, throwing herself at him and kissing him excitedly.

My heart broke. My first thought was that Mako had lied about them breaking up. But then I realized there was no reason why he would lie about that. My next thought was that Korra had decided to take him back. Because she was the Avatar and she could take whatever she wanted.

Anger burned in me. She left. She broke up with him and vanished. And now she was here taking away the one thing I had left for comfort?!

That would probably have ruined the chances of our friendship's survival if I hadn't learned that Korra only acted as she had out of ignorance. She had lost part of her memory and didn't remember breaking up with Mako. But it was Mako who allowed her to remain ignorant. He chose her over me.

And I knew he always would.

I put aside my feelings of betrayal and anger. Kind of hard to focus on such trivial things when the fate of the world is at stake. But it still hurt.

Watching Korra fight for not only the fate of the world but her own legacy as well dulled the hurt somewhat. I tried to remember that I couldn't possibly understand the pain and struggle she was going through. I watched her persevere from a distance, my anger slowly fading to respect as she shouldered her destiny and confronted it with her heart on her sleeve.

Harmonic Convergence was an intense event. The entire world shook and Republic City was attacked by an enormous spirit monster. Korra came through in the end but at a great sacrifice. She lost her connection to her past lives and regained her lost memories.

I overheard her and Mako break up again, my heart in my mouth as they promised they'd love each other always, just not as a couple. This whole ordeal had caused me to lose interest in pursuing anything with Mako again. Instead, I found myself drawn towards the venerable Avatar, who had just reunited the spirit and physical worlds and still had that same sad look on her face I remembered from when we'd met. As much as she pretended to not be hurting, I knew she was. Deeply.

Without Mako, she was going to need someone to talk to. Why not me?

* * *

><p>After Harmonic Convergence, Korra was different. I couldn't quite tell whether it was from the break-up with Mako or something deeper that had happened during her epic battle without her Avatar spirit. She was quieter, less brash and spent more time brooding than I'd ever known her to. It was apparent that she was lonelier than ever.<p>

Regardless of the reason, as Republic City turned on her following her decisions during Harmonic Convergence, Korra turned to me. Whether by convenience because I so readily offered support or by genuine need I couldn't tell. But it didn't matter to me. I just wanted her to know I was here. And I always would be if she needed help.

I tried to teach her to drive, which was an unmitigated disaster. Thankfully, it broke whatever ice remained between us and we finally talked about our shared history with Mako. Water under the bridge that only brought us closer.

The world was changing, air-benders had suddenly reappeared and new enemies were cropping up. I often found myself as Korra's only companion as we travelled around the Earth Kingdom searching out the new members of the Air Nation.

During those few months of travelling and having crazy adventures, we grew closer than ever. Fighting off bandits, getting out of the desert alive, trying to double-cross Zaheer and the Red Lotus taught us a lot about each other. Korra and I worked well together, playing off each other and building on each other's strengths. I saw Korra's determination up close, her dedication to those she loved and her amazing strength in the face of adversity.

But I saw the fear too. When the Red Lotus captured the new Air Nation and demanded she hand herself over for them, Korra immediately came to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this was for her to hand herself over. It was brave certainly, but I knew she was scared.

I held her tightly as she said her goodbyes before the exchange. I knew it would not be the last time I saw her. But I worried what would happen to her before I saw her again.

The next time I saw her, she was attacking Zaheer in a fit of rage, racing through the sky in a terrifying burst of fire and air, struggling to stay alive.

As the poison racked her body and life fled her, I could only stand there helplessly, clasping my hands in desperate prayer, hoping against all odds that she would somehow survive.

* * *

><p>For two weeks, Korra didn't smile. For two weeks she didn't cry, didn't laugh, didn't…feel. And I was there through it all.<p>

After Zaheer and the Red Lotus attempted to murder her, Korra was in pretty bad shape. Her spine and several of her ribs had cracked during the intense fight, one of her lungs had been damaged and her blood tainted by an unidentified metallic poison. She couldn't walk, couldn't dress herself, could barely lift her arms and definitely couldn't sleep. Even if I hadn't been sleeping in the same room and heard her moaning and crying softly through the night, I would have noticed the dark circles that had taken permanent residence under her eyes. Most nights I would silently slip into bed beside her, taking her broken body in my arms and trying to hold her together as the nightmares made her shiver and cry. Sometimes it worked and her sleeping form relaxed against mine until I felt she was calmed enough for me to slip back into my own bed. Most of time she continued to whimper and tremble, pressed close to me throughout the night as the horrors inside her head tormented her.

Anytime someone mentioned the Red Lotus or her being poisoned, her face closed off, she looked down and became lost in her own world. Whenever this happened, I was sure to change the subject as quickly as possible.

I'd never seen anyone so broken. Although Pema was perfectly capable and had even offered to help Korra, I took on full responsibility for her. She didn't want anyone but me to see her at her worst. I bathed her, I dressed her, I carried her to and from her wheelchair and up and down stairs. I cooked for her and fed her. For her, I knew it felt pathetic and degrading. All I cared about was keeping her alive and trying to make her smile again.

I did my best to try to stay positive, to keep upbeat and encouraging and optimistic about her recovery. But sometimes I feared that she was beyond ever being able to hope again.

On the day of Jinora's ceremony, I reminded her that I was here. I took her hand and watched for her eyes to light up. They didn't. I promised that I'd always be here if she wanted to talk or anything. She would always have me.

I was at her side during Jinora's ceremony, occasionally giving her shoulder a squeeze if she looked like she needed some company. She only acknowledged my touch once, gently placing her hand on top of mine in a gesture of gratitude.

During the ceremony, when Tenzin announced that the air-benders would take on the Avatar's responsibilities while she was recovering, I fought to hide a wince. Korra nodded to him in gratitude but I saw the pain in her eyes. She felt useless. Unnecessary.

As the ceremony concluded with Jinora's anointment, I continued to watch Korra.

I'm sure I was the only one who saw the tear slip down her cheek.

* * *

><p>Two days later, Korra, her parents and Kya were all set to head back to the South Pole. But I was still worried. Korra had started sleeping a little better on the nights I slid into bed beside her but she still seemed emotionally detached from everything.<p>

I offered to go with her, to keep her company. But she politely refused, saying she needed time alone. Not wanting to push her, I hugged her goodbye and watched her go, still concerned about her, wondering if she really would be okay.

She smiled and waved as the ship pulled away. But I saw the smile fade and the sadness return as she turned away from us.

As soon as I got back to my room, I sat down and wrote my first letter to Korra. Even if she didn't want me in the South Pole with her, I was going to make damn sure she never felt alone.

* * *

><p>It was two long years before I heard anything from her. I kept writing her letters, more out of loneliness than anything else. I missed her dreadfully and with Mako back on detective duty and Bolin joining Verric and Kuveria, Republic City was lonelier than ever. Rebuilding the streets and designing the spirit wilds kept me occupied during the day but as soon as I left the office, thoughts of Korra filled my mind. I feel asleep at night wondering what she had done that day, if she could walk again, if she was smiling more.<p>

I must have sent her two letters every week without fail, each one telling her about my work, the state of the city and expressing my desire for her to get better and come back to the city.

But she only responded once. It was a short letter, barely filling a page but it conjured a picture of Korra in a way that a million letters couldn't possibly have. She was walking again but afraid that she'd never be complete again. She was lonelier than ever, unable to speak to the spirit inside her that had guided all her past lives, unable to find someone who could understand what she was going through. But she had reached out to me.

I responded immediately, offering her words of encouragement, my letter practically weeping with joy at finally hearing from her. I expressed my fondest wishes that she do whatever she had to to figure this out and return to Republic City. She did not respond to that letter.

Six months after I sent that letter, a Southern Water Tribe ship docked at Air Temple Island. But Korra wasn't on it. She'd been missing for six months.

* * *

><p>When Korra finally returned to Republic City, I felt like a great weight had been lifted from me. I'd started to wonder if I should go looking for her, if she was okay. It was only my trepidation at interrupting her during a time when she clearly wished to be alone that stopped me. But it wasn't easy. Tenzin sent word to my office mid-morning about a week after we'd discovered Korra had been missing. The message was short: <em>Korra has returned. She says meet for lunch at Quong's in two hours<em>.

I dropped everything and raced over. She was finally home. I was reading a magazine in the waiting area when I became aware of someone watching me. I looked up and my entire body relaxed.

She was here.

Korra seemed hesitant to approach me, keeping a good distance and an anxious smile between us. I had no such trepidation. I stood and pulled her into a tight embrace. She seemed older, much older than the mere twenty years she was and slighter than she had been before. She covered more skin than I'd ever known her to when it was this warm. But her eyes were the same: warm and alive, overflowing with happiness at seeing me.

She blushed adorably when I complimented her short hair.

Our wonderful catch-up lunch with Mako (and, unfortunately Prince Wu) degenerated into a shouting match however, when I brought up my father. Well, it was kind of one-sided. Korra wasn't shouting (for once), I was. She had no right to act like she knew what was best for me. She' d been gone for three years, how could she possibly know what I'd gone through?

Afterwards, I felt horrible about how I'd treated her. I tried to apologize when Mako went looking for the Prince but she would have none of it. I could see the guilt on her face. She was still feeling bad about vanishing for so long. Before we could have a real talk about it though, we found ourselves embroiled in a desperate search for a kidnapped prince.

Talking had to wait. But if there was one thing that day did teach us, it was that we could still work flawlessly together in a fight.

Things quieted down for a bit after that kidnapping scare. I was working hard on new designs for Reiko and the United Republic Army and Korra was dealing with the repercussions of being gone for too long. The two of us spent a lot of time together on Air Temple Island the next few weeks. I'd kept a room there and began staying nights to be around Korra. She seemed distant and lost in thought about something much of the time. It took me a few days (a several cups of Pema's tea) to get her to open up about it. Apparently being away hadn't helped her confidence about how necessary she was to the world.

Over the next few days, we had more talks. About the past three years, about Kuveria, about Korra's successes as the Avatar and the challenges that remained. I saw her start to hope again. But neither one of us brought up the argument we'd had the first day she was back.

I could sense that she wasn't ready to talk about it. As easy as it was for us to laugh and chat with each other, we weren't ready for that conversation, whatever it might be. That day was in front of us, waiting for the right opportunity.

But before that day came, Kuveria attacked the city. Korra tried sabotage, she tried intimidation, negotiations and ultimatums. But nothing worked. Kuveria invaded the city and it was up to a few of us to take down her army of MechaTanks and her Giant MechaSuit.

It was an impressive team effort. Even my father joined in after Lin sprung him from prison. While the benders tried to slow down Kuveria, my father, Zhu Li, Verric and I refitted the prototype hummingbird suits we'd been designing with plasma saws to cut into the MechaSuit. It was go gratifying to work with my father again. I'd missed our father-daughter workshop time. Back in the days before he'd become obsessed with revenge.

When we finally took to the skies, my father insisted that I pilot the suit, saying that I had much more experience than him. I didn't think anything of it, feeling that it was just an expression of fatherly pride. I should have known better.

As my seat ejected out of the back of the hummingbird suit, I realized what my father was doing. What he had done to protect me.

My anguished cries went unheard as the tiny hummingbird suit was crushed by the Giant MechaSuit's hand. The parachute carried me to the ground in a slow, spiral descent but I hardly noticed. The image of my father's smile and his last words were all I could think about.

_Goodbye Asami…I love you._

Even after I hit the ground, I couldn't move. My father was gone. The last member of my family was dead. And I'd only just forgiven him. Too little, too late.

A horrid noise tore me from my stupor. I looked up to see the suit explode into a dozen pieces, platinum raining from the sky and smashing up the buildings, crumbling and falling to bits all around me.

The thought of Korra caught up in the debris had me frantically cutting myself free of the chair and scrambling to my feet. I ran as fast as I could through downtown as the ground began to rumble and shake.

_Korra…_

I had to get to Korra. I couldn't lose her too.

* * *

><p>After the Battle of Republic City, life quieted down. Suddenly every spare hand was tasked with the clean up and refugees were pouring back in to reclaim their homes and survey the damage. Any spare time and resources after that were put towards Verric and Zhu Li's wedding.<p>

If Verric was anything, he was efficient. His wedding was a mere two weeks after Kuveria's downfall, situated on Air Temple Island, the only venue in the city currently not scheduled for reconstruction. Tenzin allowed it, probably as a thank-you to Verric for all his help.

Korra sat next to me at the wedding, her hand occasionally touching mine throughout the ceremony, her eyes sparkling with the kind of hope I hadn't seen in a long time. I squeezed her hand back, smiling fondly, hoping to convey how happy I was that she was happy again.

I knew Korra needed to talk. About the battle, about how long she'd been absent, about the loss of my father. Hell, I just wanted to talk to her, to remind myself that she was still here, that I still had one piece of family left for me in this world. Maybe it was finally time we had that conversation we'd been dancing around for weeks.

It wasn't until long after the ceremony that I finally caught her alone. Well, nearly alone. Her and Tenzin were conversing at the entrance to the island, looking out over the new spirit portal. It seemed like a rather emotional moment, so I waited a bit before stepping in. After a quick only half-false story about Verric wanting a glider suit to fly off of the tower, Tenzin ran off in a panic, finally leaving me and the Avatar alone.

We sat together on the steps she had led me up years ago when I first moved to the island. It seemed like another lifetime. So much had changed in a few short years. The brash, rude girl I had met who had hidden her fears and been in love with my boyfriend had become the most important person in my life. She had matured into a compassionate, wise, amazing Avatar who looked at me like she couldn't live without me.

The two of us opposites cried and held each other in our solitude: the CEO who was now orphaned and the Avatar who had won her greatest victory. All I wanted in that moment was time. Time for us to be alone together, to discover who we were together now that we knew who we were apart.

It was Korra who suggested the vacation. But I picked the location. The new spirit portal seemed like the perfect choice. It was the coming together of our past and our future: the city where we had met and fought and loved and lost and the spirit world where the trials and surprises of life twisted and turned into the mist.

We paused at the edge of the portal, fear creeping into my heart. I was leaving my past behind for an unknown future, a future I wasn't sure others would accept. A future of uncertainty where the only thing I knew was that I loved Korra and I never wanted to let her go. It was the only future I wanted.

Korra smiled at me and my fears melted away. We were together, nothing could go wrong. The future would be what it would be. But we would be together. Always.

We clasped hands as we walked into the shining portal, our eyes never leaving each other. She was here, promising me I'd never be alone again. My other hand found hers and we stood together in the warm, echoing light of the portal, facing each other, seeing each other as clearly as if our souls were stripped bare and laid before each other.

Gazing into her eyes as we faded into the light of the spirit portal, I realized what it was that I saw. What I had always seen that no one else had been able to.

I saw **her**.

* * *

><p>A.N.: This was an amazing arc and I love these ladies. Personally, I felt that the finale was more the culmination of the friendship these two had formed and the realization that that friendship had blossomed into love. But regardless, this was an amazing show for a million reasons besides this one and I am going to miss it so much.<p> 


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